Category: Japan Trip 09

Well we are back home now and I can finally make it to a computer. Everyone had a great night at the Sayonara evening with plenty of tears being shed in an emotional farewell that was just the same when we left on Saturday morning. The good side was that we had a great time in Singapore and the kids loved the night safari, which was a Halloween theme and the kids really enjoyed it. The next day we went to Sentosa Island and we had a real day full of activities with our awesome guide Casey who showed us the Musuem, Merlion, Underwater World and the Dolphin Show…it was a great, but hot, day. We had the afternoon in the hotel pool and then headed back home on our merry way. I don’t think the kids could believe what they had come back to….from 32c to 6c…ouch!!!! Hopefully now though the experiences and memories will be shared and you too will see what an amazing experience we have had with the kids. All the best over the rest of the holidays and will see you again in Term 4 at our final meeting…..sayonara!

Hey All. Another great day today with the kids finding out what a true school day is like in Japan although the lessons are a little less intensive than usual. Started off with a japanese language lesson where their kids gave us a history lesson and other interesting things about Japan. Then the boys and girls split up and the girls had a yukata wearing and boys did the Esasa and taught the Japanese boys the haka. The girls came and visited us in the gym and as you can see form the photos, looked stunning. After lunch we had an art class and then music class where the kids learnt a famous song called Hana (Flower) which they will sing at the Sayonara Night. We then caught out Mrs Morris with a birthday cake and she was over the moon with having the kids sing her happy birthday and having a bit of Kiwi in her trip. At 4pm the kids had clubs with some doing sports, music and martial arts which took them through to 6pm. So here I am now ready to head home….time is really flying and this will be all over very soon. Till next time i hope all of you are well, enjoying the last that winter will throw at us (hopefully) and its great to be coming back to daylight saving because there is no such thing here……Ja mata….Darren

Hello all…..your kids are amazing….they did an awesome job today at the Cultural performance (a couple of small hiccups but hey thats cool) They did themselves, their families, MIS and NZ proud……very cool to see the reaction from the Japanese students, which was fantastic. They also really enjoyed an extra small trip we took them to after we had practiced our items, it was to the Hiyaku Yen shop (100 yen) and they went absolutely mad. We worked out when we got back that we had bought, in total, 500 itmes!!!!! Thats close to spending $900 NZD…I have never seen anything like it before, the store workers were definitely rubbing their hands together when they saw the Red Shirt Army coming!!! The best shoppers were Sophie and Eilish with about 46-47 items each!!!! But hey they had a ball and thats what this trip is all about. They are so responsive when listening to when the Japanese teachers talk about culture and history, so they are understanding the real significance of this place. Today they will have a free morning with their students to go around what basically is a school gala and then we head off to Osaka Jo this afternoon which is an amazing place. I will try and add a blog on todays events but that will depend on time and we have a day with our Host Families tomorrow…..till then Ja mata.

Hey all we have arrived in Japan and the kids have made a fantastic start. Obviously they are very shattered but they stepped up to the mark, made an excellent first impression and their speeches were amazing. Everything has come together so well and I cant be happier. Juliet will upload some photos soon for you all to see what is going on. For now its time to head home, spend time with our host family and get some much needed sleep. Will add another message soon. Darren.

In just two months we will be heading off again on our annual trip to visit our friends at Shijonawate Gakuen High School in Osaka, Japan. This year 20 students will be travelling with 5 teachers and adults. I am sure they are starting to think about how soon this is going to be taking place.